Modifier

Last week I was in Salzburg on business. The purpose of my trip was to join an external trainer holding workshops at the Salzburg city branch of Household Name. The topic of the workshop was "strengths-based leadership", the audience people-managers. In order to make the round of introductions more interesting and already put attendees in the right mindset of focusing on strengths, the trainer wrote 3 questions on the flipchart. "What is my name and function?" "Why am I here?" "What am I - at least a little - good at?". Now the same format of workshop has been held at the Vienna office several times and the first time I read these instructions, I found it very strange to have included this modifier "at least a little". I mean, who can't name at least one thing they are good at immediately, be it a private or a work-related fact. Then I thought about it and realised that 10 years of working for an American company completely made me change my mind and become much "braggier" than I was before. When you are constantly asked to reflect on and talk about all the "amaaaazing" things you did on a daily basis, it becomes second nature at some point. Even for Austrians or other Central European whose mentality almost forbids them to do so, for fear of being thought arrogant and boastful. By including that modifying "at least a little bit" you make it easier for those who struggle to talk about what they are good at. 

The workshop also includes a session where you split up in smaller groups and talk about, among other things, something that made you proud of the previous week. It's always interesting to see who talks about something from their private life and who picks something job-related. Myself, I am "at least a little bit" proud of pretty spontaneously posting my first ever article on LinkedIn last week, which I guess is a bit of both business and pleasure.